Missing You
by RascalJoy
Summary: Annabeth was falling apart. All of the stress of searching for her missing boyfriend, coupled with her swirling emotions was making it hard to keep up her mask. When she takes a walk down the beach to try and calm herself, she finds herself contemplating Percy's unique qualities that always set him apart from most other demigods.


**Hello everyone! So, this is my first complete one-shot for my self-made 'Ten Songs, Ten Drabbles—With a Twist' contest. If you're interested, you can check out the rules in my 'Ten Song, Ten Drabble—With a Twist' story.**

**So, I actually really enjoyed how this turned out. I wrote it based on the song "Jesus, Friend Of Sinners" by Casting Crowns. I highly recommend listening to it first so you can see where I'm coming from. Plus, it's a beautiful song.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

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Annabeth looked out over Long Island Sound, her heart aching as she watched the little waves rolling onto the shore.

She seemed to enjoy this heartbreaking torture. It was bad enough that everything in Camp Half-Blood, from the Big House to the forest, reminded her in some way of Percy. Of course she just _had_ to make it worse by standing in the place he loved the most in Camp Half-Blood. She could practically hear the surf call his name every time a wave rolled up the beach and down again: _Peeeerccccccccy_ it hissed.

She managed a short bitter laugh, kicking a stone into the little waves. She was hallucinating. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately, holding on to the naïve hope that maybe her boyfriend was still here, that he'd never left. Every time she entered the sword arena, she half expected to see him sparring with Clarisse, maybe giving some pointers to the newer campers. Whenever she crossed the creek in a game of Capture the Flag into enemy territory, she constantly had to remind herself to check behind her since Percy wasn't there to watch her back. At dinner, she would find herself repeatedly glancing in the direction of the Poseidon table, thinking he would be sitting there with his blue coke and giving her his signature idiotic smile.

She managed a small smile of her own at the thought. That Seaweed Brain.

The first time she'd actually had a conversation with him (as in, when he wasn't half conscious as she spoon fed him ambrosia like a baby), those had been the exact words running through her head. Seriously, he was denser than a rock, and if it hadn't been the fact that the guy had by some miracle killed the Minotaur, Annabeth would have written him off as a goner.

Then, she'd found out he was a child of the Big Three: the only demigod child of Poseidon. Yep, definitely dead. His reckless bravery and unswerving loyalty had definitely been the final stroke of a pen, ensuring his early departure to the Underworld. She had never expected that that annoying little idiot would worm his way into her heart like he did. Especially since his dad was Poseidon, the arch nemesis of Athena, Annabeth's mom.

Annabeth had honestly thought he would never amount to much, especially when compared to Thalia or Luke. But over the years, she had been surprised again and again by him. It wasn't just his swordplay, or his—dare she say—_ingenious_ spur of the moment plans that had saved her life and others on many occasions. It was his deadly willingness to give a person a second chance—even a third and a fourth, in the case of Ethan Nakamura. He didn't judge people by their choices; he just strove to help them realize what they were doing, trying his hardest to convince them to turn their thoughts around. Nico di Angelo was living, breathing proof of Percy's strange skill. Even Polyphemus the blind old Cyclops was given his chance to survive and let them all go in peace. Annabeth doubted she could have done that. Well, of course she'd been down for the count with broken ribs at the time, but even if she had been fully functional, she wouldn't have given a second thought to stabbing the monster right in the eye.

Of course that encounter would have gotten really messy for Percy and crew if not for a certain not-so-little half-brother of Percy's. Sometimes, Annabeth thought his heart was a little too soft. It would be the death of him one day. That is, if his loyalty didn't get him first.

"Loyalty," she mused, kicking at the sand with one bare foot.

Percy was too loyal for his own good. There was no doubt about it that this fatal flaw would probably cause his end. He willingly threw himself at any monster that threatened Annabeth or any of his other friends, and probably wouldn't hesitate to give his life in place of another's. Maybe even give up the world. Gods, he'd all ready given up godhood just to be with her.

Her chest clenched painfully, as if her heart was attempting to keep itself together as a tidal wave of emotions roared to life inside her. She collapsed to the sand, one hand clutching at her heart as tears streamed down her face. All the emotions she'd kept securely bottled up inside her over the months finally exploded from the intense pressure and stress she was going through.

A sob burst forth from her mouth and she quickly covered it, struggling in vain to stop her tears as her hidden emotions finally showed themselves: anger and bitterness toward Hera, the pain of being separated from Percy, terror for the horrors that she knew awaited her in Rome if she followed the Mark of Athena, and just plain worry for her stupid boyfriend.

His face popped once more into her mind, a grin plastered on his features, his sea green eyes glittering in amusement.

She sobbed harder, hugging her knees to her chest and burying her face into her knees.

_Stop it_, she mentally chided. _You're a daughter of Athena, not some lovesick daughter of Aphrodite riding an emotional roller coaster. Get a grip._

She breathed in as slowly and deeply as she could, and the tears eventually stopped flowing as she carefully replaced the cork on the bottle of emotions within her. She sat there for several minutes, just watching the sunlight reflect off the surface of the beautiful blue waters of Long Island Sound.

Finally, she stood, brushing the sand off of her shorts.

She looked once more out onto the horizon, a fierce resolve hardening inside her. She stepped down to the surf, letting the water wash around her ankles almost playfully, as if trying to drag her in. Just like Percy loved to do…

_Nope_, she snapped at herself. _Not past tense. He's still alive._

She took a deep breath, gazing across the large expanse of water stretching our for miles in either direction. "We're coming, Seaweed Brain," she told the waves. "Stay alive, okay? I'll see you soon. We'll finally be together." She struggled to keep her voice from cracking. "I love you."

She turned on her heel, storming up the sand dunes and ignoring the sand sticking to her wet feet and calves as her face set itself into the determined and confident mask that had seldom left her features in public since Percy's disappearance.

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**So what do you think? Let me know in a review! Favorites are great, but I like to know WHY people like my story! Guests, don't be shy! Constructive criticism is accepted and appreciated!**


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